My family has had a cottage in Tobermory adjacent to the Gap for 50 years, and we were very interested in the parking changes listed in your (Issue #13/20) article of August 11 (MNBP Bans Parking on Moore Street and Little Cove Road). We have certainly seen a sharp increase in overcrowding in Northern Bruce Peninsula over the past decade.
The issue that affects us most directly is use of public areas after midnight. On an almost nightly basis, there are loud groups of people drinking, shouting, playing loud music, and swimming at the Gap and Big Tub Lighthouse. We have also heard similar stories about Dunks Bay and the swim platform on Bay St. In pre-COVID years, this activity would begin immediately after the last bar closed in town; this year, people arrive anywhere between 11:30 pm and 2:00 am. This often leads to people trespassing on the neighbouring properties, which are then littered with trash and broken glass the next morning. Given how sound travels across the water, and our conversations with our neighbours, we know that we are at the epicentre of an issue that affects many seasonal and permanent residents.
We know that bylaw officers have their hands full managing parking during the day. In the late evening and early hours of the morning, however, it is left to the neighbouring families to deal with the problems that inevitably arise. We have been told to call the OPP to deal with such disturbances, but it often takes them forty-five minutes to an hour for them to arrive, given that they are actively policing the entire peninsula.
It should be said that while some of the groups we have had to talk to are aggressive and confrontational, others are truly surprised and apologetic, as they honestly did not realize that there were family residences nearby. Our family has requested that signs outlining noise bylaws be installed at the Gap for the last five years, to no avail.
It’s also worth considering the potential legal liability at these sites. Within the National Park, there have been signs erected at the Grotto and Halfway Log Dump that discourage visitors from unsafe behavior. No such signs exist at the Gap or at the Lighthouse where there is a high potential for tragedy when groups of inebriated people try to navigate unfamiliar rocks and water in the dark.
We have four suggestions that would improve not only the nighttime experience in Tobermory, but the crowd management in the municipality in general:
1. Enforce Parking Limits with Towing: An expensive and inconvenient stay for your car in a compound is a deterrent everyone can understand.
2. Establish Boundaries: If the municipality is allowing their properties to be public access, then it is their responsibility to install clear signage and/or barriers to distinguish between public and private property and to prevent trespassing.
3. Enact a bylaw that would restrict access to public areas at night: A bylaw restricting night access would prevent the persistent garbage and the trespassing onto neighbouring properties. It would also help to protect the municipality from possible litigation if there is an accident on their property. Restricted access from 11:00 PM to 8:00 AM would allow visitors to enjoy the sites and remain through the entire sunset even at the height of summer. Signage at each site should identify these areas as “neighbourhoods” and outline the pertinent bylaws. Courteous people will comply and turn around when they see the signs; those determined to stay will have no excuse when late night enforcement arrives.
4. Consistent bylaw enforcement beyond business hours: Bylaws must be enforced at night as well as during the day. We know where and when there are going to be problems, so it will not be difficult for a bylaw officer to fulfill this role if the municipality invests in this.
If the municipality takes these steps, then we will come closer to achieving our goal: to ensure that Tobermory is a peaceful home for all property owners, and a wonderful place to experience for visitors.
Alison and Jonathon Stewart
To read Jonathan Stewart’s full brief to MNBP council visit https://brucepeninsulapress.com/2020/08/25/letter-managing-public-use-areas-in-northern-bruce-peninsula-isnt-a-gordian-knot-it-just-takes-commitment-from-the-municipality-to-take-responsibility/
